Benchmarks

Introduced in 1996, the MDAX tracks Germany’s listed mid-cap companies, widely regarded as the backbone of the national economy. The index has become a popular barometer for investors, both in terms of the breadth of investable products linked to it and the returns it has delivered over the past three decades.

In its third year of existence, the iShares EURO STOXX 50 ESG ETF offers exposure to a core Eurozone benchmark minus controversial business activities. Sophie Thurner, ETF Product Strategist at BlackRock, explains how the ESG ETF fits in investors’ portfolios and how its underlying index has adapted to evolving regulation.

The EURO STOXX® Banks and STOXX® Europe 600 Banks indices climbed 80.3% and 67% respectively in 2025, the best performance among 20 ICB Supersectors and best year since 1987. In spite of strong gains in recent years, the banking sector remains significantly below the levels reached just before the global financial crisis.

European stocks helped drive global indices to a monthly gain in December, capping a third straight year of double-digit returns on expectations of sustained economic growth.

The launches follow on from the roll-out three years ago of ETFs tracking yen-hedged versions of the two European flagship benchmarks, and come amid rising interest in European equities.

STOXX Ltd., part of the ISS STOXX group of companies, and Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd., Japan’s largest ETF issuer, today announced their expanding collaboration with Nomura’s launch of two ETFs respectively tracking STOXX’s flagship EURO STOXX 50® and DAX® benchmark indices in euros. The ETFs will list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on December 17th.

STOXX Ltd. today announced its expanding collaboration with BlackRock, with BlackRock’s launch of the iShares Quantum Computing UCITS ETF, which tracks the STOXX Global Quantum Computing index.

Changes are part of the December regular review of the DAX 50 ESG, DAX 50 ESG+, DAX 30 ESG, DAX ESG Target, DAX ESG Screened, MDAX ESG+, MDAX ESG Screened and DAX indices.

European stocks rose for the fifth consecutive month in November on optimism about the path of economic growth. Concerns about high valuations in artificial intelligence-related stocks weighed on US indices, while global benchmarks were flat for the month.

STOXX Ltd., part of the ISS STOXX group of companies and leading provider of benchmark and custom index solutions to global institutional investors, today announced the new composition of the DAX blue-chip indices.

The new ETF is a first for the issuer and the only one in the market offering an equal-weight approach to the flagship Eurozone benchmark. Investors have this year been turning increasingly to equal-weight strategies to avoid single-stock concentration risks and rising valuations.

STOXX Ltd. today announced its expanding collaboration with Invesco, with Invesco’s launch of the Invesco EURO STOXX 50 Equal Weight UCITS ETF, its first ETF in Europe tracking the EURO STOXX 50 Equal Weight index that provides equivalent Blue-chip representation of supersector leaders in the Eurozone.